


Year One

by GeorgeOaks



Series: Hogwarts, A Mystery [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Cursed Vaults, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery - Freeform, Hogwarts First Year, M/M, Male Rowan Khanna, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-28 22:30:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14459169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeorgeOaks/pseuds/GeorgeOaks
Summary: Jacob Michaels made headlines at the beginning of 1983. It was rumored the Slytherin was obsessed with the Hogwarts ‘cursed vaults’ and attempted to plague the entire school with them. So close to the disappearance of Voldemort via a lost fight against an infant, the public watched with a morbid fascination as Jacob was expelled from Hogwarts for his dark deeds only to soon disappear himself. Rumor was he went mad from the Cursed Vaults and had run away to join Voldemort in a deranged delusion that he could bring the Dark Lord back.A couple years later, his younger brother goes to Hogwarts.(Join me as I play Hogwarts Mystery and create a narrative for it while I wait for my character's energy to replenish.)





	Year One

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I did.
> 
> In a rush to be one of the first to post for Hogwarts Mystery, I present chapter one/prologue! It's short. I have more already written, but I wanted to post this already to put my finger in the pot. I'll post more later today.

Daniel Michaels stepped through the magical, brick barrier into Diagon Alley. It was bright from the sunny day; the vibrant shops, each like their own character, lined a narrow and crooked path down, and birds sang over the hum of the crowd. It was impenetrable from any noise offered by muggle London.

As he surveyed the bustling crowd, he smirked slightly at the blunt contradictions he saw that was only recently indulged in over the last few years since He Who Must Not Be Named’s defeat. Within the sea of colorful billowing robes were several witches and wizards, mostly kids, wearing muggle clothes like he was. It was also glaringly obvious who took the muggle entrance and who didn’t.

For Danny’s part, he preferred the muggle entrance. He enjoyed taking the tube and buses, a chance to rest back and just people-watch, for lack of a better term. He liked to take his time. Usually, anyway. Today might have been more of a stall tactic, but there he was.

Patting his pockets to make sure he still had the money his parents had given him for today’s shopping, Danny began to weave his way through the crowd.

As he tried to sidestep a man and woman attempting to reign in their large number of redheaded children, Danny ran bodily into someone else.

“Oomf,” the person huffed on impact.

“Sorry!” Danny said, jumping back.

The movement made the boy he had run into lose what little balance remained on his bags, and in a rush to help stop the boy from losing his shopping to the busy streets and passersby, Danny then jumped forward, catching the bags but knocking his head against the boy’s.

“Sorry!” Danny said again, gingerly stepping back and holding a few caught bags out.

“It’s okay,” the boy smiled reassuringly, taking the bags and arranging them more securely in his hands and arms. “Probably my fault. I can barely see over my haul!”

Danny smiled back. The boy’s dark skin looked a little flushed, but his dark eyes underneath his glasses were open and somehow bright. He looked excited and a little proud of himself. Or, most likely, his haul.

Belatedly, Danny realized it was probably awkward for him to have just paused to smile and not say anything back, but if it was, the boy gave no indication. Instead, the boy adjusted his stance and said, “Are you getting ready to start Hogwarts too?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah. First year.”

“Me too,” the boy smiled. “I’ve been reading _Hogwarts, A History_ in anticipation.”

“Smart,” Danny commented, taking in the boy’s appearance and vocabulary. He was obviously a bit of a nerd, even in more formal muggle attire compared to Danny’s simple trousers and a white t-shirt. It seemed to suit him well – and even if it didn’t, the boy was clearly unapologetic.

“That’s the plan,” the boy grinned.

“Your plan is to be smart?”

“Or at least appear it.”

Danny huffed a laugh. “How can you appear to be smart?”

The boy shrugged. “I don’t know. I still got some time, maybe I’ll buy something to make me look it.”

“Well, you already got the glasses,” Danny gestured.

“True. Maybe something to go with them. What do you think looks the smartest: hat, scarf or sweater?”

Danny laughed at the randomness but tilted his head to pretend to consider nonetheless. “Scarf,” he picked.

“Scarf it is,” the boy beamed. “See you at Hogwarts!”

“See you!” Danny returned, and he watched as the boy stepped around him and continued on his path.

Danny shook his head. He liked people like that, seemingly easy and obviously happy. He only just wished he could be nearly as excited going to Hogwarts as the boy appeared to be.

With a bit heavier heart than just a moment ago, Danny went on his way.

Amongst the crowd that seemed to ooze bubbly cheer everywhere he went, Danny felt decidedly somber. This was hardly his first time in Diagon Alley, and he was far from a novice to the wizardry world. Still, he felt just as eager looking at the new line of brooms, and just as enthusiastic seeing what new and interesting products were out, with the rest of them. It was what his actual errands were that prevented the outing from being enjoyable. The last time he was around potion ingredients, textbooks, and school supplies was with Jacob when he prepared for another year.

What turned out to be his big brother’s final year.

They had made plans for this particular day, too, the kickoff their one and only year at Hogwarts together with Danny a first year and Jacob a seventh. It was supposed to start at a muggle waffle house for breakfast and end at Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour. They were going to sneak treats into Eeylops Owl Emporium, see if they could shoplift at Gambol and Japes, try to get Madam Malkins to actually laugh while they got new robes, and see how far into Knockturn Alley they could get until they were yelled at to leave.

As it were, Danny crossed to the other side of the street when he passed Florean Fortescue’s, stayed completely silent in Malkins, and avoided the other places.

Finally, arms weighed down with the day’s shopping, Danny stood outside of Ollivander’s, his last stop. Everyone got their wands at Ollivander’s, and Danny found himself wondering how it was like for Jacob. Danny had been there, but he had been so young. He couldn’t remember. The sadness he felt at the loss of the memory hurt, but he was grateful that it at least was prominent enough to shadow the loneliness he felt then – and the slight boiling anger that his parents weren’t even there to witness him getting his wand.

Straightening his back, he pushed inside.

Ollivander’s shop looked cluttered and compared to the brightness outside, dark. It took a couple of blinks to adjust, but once he did, he could see a coziness to the place. He looked around at the stacks upon stacks of wand boxes, and a spark of excitement shot through him.

Ollivander was behind his desk, bent over a long roll of parchment. Danny strode up to it, squatting to set his bags down. When he stood back up, he saw Ollivander had lifted himself up and was standing, smiling slightly at him.

“Hello,” the man greeted. He was old with white hair and a wrinkled face but seemed sturdy and strong. “Garrick Ollivander is my name. Here to receive your first wand, yes?”

Danny nodded, pulling out his signed Hogwarts form confirming his Hogwarts entry and start date, therefore, permitting Danny to legally purchase a wand of his own. Ollivander took it and tossed it aside onto a pile of similar forms without bothering to look at it. Instead, he was studying Danny, and Danny jumped when he noticed a measuring tape had snuck up on him and was now flittering around his body.

“I have just the thing!” Ollivander announced, apparently having read enough of the tape for a jumping off point. He turned and began riffling through some boxes on a shelf nearby. Quickly, he was bringing one to Danny, opening and presenting the wand. “Yew, unicorn hair, eleven inches. Go on,” he encouraged. “Give it a twirl.”

Hesitantly, Danny picked it up and gave it a flick. A swoosh of wind burst around the room, sending Ollivander’s many piles of papers flying into the air in a furious tornado only to gently float back down.

Making a face, Danny shyly handed the wand back. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Not at all, not at all!” Ollivander said happily. He reboxed the wand, then with a flick of his own wand, the pages reorganized themselves into whatever mess Ollivander had them in before.

He walked back to behind his desk and looked Danny in the eye a long moment.

Finally, he smiled kindly and said, “I recall your brother exploded my favorite inkpot when we tried his first wand.”

Danny blinked. “My… You knew my brother?”

“I remember every wand I’ve ever sold,” Ollivander informed him. “His was maple wood, dragon heartstring, ten inches. A fine wand. Shame they snapped it in half when he was expelled.”

Danny winced.

“I understand that he ran away from home after being expelled,” Ollivander continued, “and he’s been missing ever since.”

Pressing his lips together, Danny gulped, but he refused to look away.

“That must have had a profound impact on you…”

That was new. Danny blinked. He was used to people approaching him about his brother. Usually, though, they just talked at him, ranging anywhere from wild conspiracy theories, fairly tamed accusations, and hateful threats if Jacob ever were to return. No one, not even his parents, ever asked how the whole thing affected _him_.

Disarmed, Danny could only say truthfully, “He loved us. He loved Hogwarts. I just… I just hope he’s okay.”

“Hmm.” Ollivander squinted at him, as though he was viewing Danny’s response academically instead of anything else. Then he was moving again, going into the back of his shop a few aisles, disappearing, and reappearing one second later with another box in hand. “Sensitivity can be a great strength. I think I have just the wand for you.”

He opened the box and presented the wand to Danny.

“Applewood, dragon heartstring, nine inches, rigid.”

Danny swallowed down his sudden nerves and slowly reached out to curl his fingers around it. He lifted it and gave a small flick.

Warmth from his belly seemed to suddenly spread out all over him, and warmth from the wand radiated through his palm to join his own. It began to glow where skin and wandwood met, emitting a pleasant breeze and filling him with a sense of _right_. The glowing and warmth eased away, and Danny was left gaping at the wand.

It was an incredible sensation. This was it – his wand.

“Splendid!” Ollivander said, obviously satisfied. “I’ll be interested to see what path you choose...”

Danny quirked a brow, wondering if that was somehow a jab to his brother. Ollivander, however, was just watching with that strange academic air, so Danny decided to leave it alone.

He opted to carry his wand out instead of having it boxed, and after he paid, leaving Danny with only a handful of Galleons, bid Ollivander goodbye.

Diagon Alley’s crowd hadn’t thinned whatsoever, and Danny had to focus a little as he weaved through so as to not lose his grip on any of his bags. More than once he paused to double check his new wand was in his pocket. The end of it was sticking out, but he knew once he found a place to set his bags down, he could probably maneuver it completely in.

Ready to go home and explore his new things, Danny made his way to the barrier between Diagon Alley and the Leaky. He spotted the boy he had run into, literally, earlier. He was leaned against the wall near the barrier, his many bags sat around his feet, and appeared to be waiting.

Danny probably wouldn’t have noticed him at all if it wasn’t for the truly hideous scarf around the boy’s neck. He wasn’t much one for judging fashion one way or another, but if ‘smart’ was what the boy was really going for… he missed. It didn’t look like the maker of the scarf could decide on a color, nor bother to check if the ones they used even matched. And were those little fuzzy balls dangling from it?

Danny couldn’t help but pause to stare. The boy didn’t seem bothered at all having to wait. Danny assumed he was waiting for his parents, but whoever it was, Danny wondered if they would be surprised by the scarf.

Feeling both amused and partly responsible, Danny walked over.

“Hey,” he greeted, careful to keep his face neutral.

The boy brightened upon seeing him and abruptly ruined Danny’s composure by saying, “Hey! How do you like my scarf?”

Danny bit his lip quickly as he stopped in front of the boy. Clearing his throat, he allowed himself to fully examine the thing. It was quirky, Danny would give it that. Seemed as random as the boy appeared to be. “It… suits you,” he settled on. Then he decided to be more encouraging. “You’ll look like the smartest first year at Hogwarts.”

“It was your suggestion! I’ll be coming to you for all my future fashion advice,” the boy nodded, as though making up his mind.

“Oh, no,” Danny tried to politely protest. “I… wouldn’t want to take any credit.”

“Nonsense,” the boy dismissed. “I’m Rowan, by the way. Rowan Khanna.”

“Danny Michaels,” Danny introduced, gesturing towards the bags in lieu of a handshake, despite Rowan not offering his hand.

The movement drew Rowan’s eye, though, and he did a double take to Danny’s pocket. “Is that Applewood?”

Danny looked down, seeing part of his new wand still sticking out. “Yeah,” he answered. “How did you know?”

Rowan shrugged. “My family’s tree farm supplies wood for wands and brooms.”

Danny raised his eyebrows, impressed.

Not missing the response, Rowan shrugged again, this time more shyly. “Why I love staying inside and reading. It keeps me from going outside and _farming._ ”

Danny laughed.

Rowan blinked at him, then began to smile as though pleased with Danny’s reaction. The smile didn’t seem to complete itself though. Rowan glanced away then said almost casually, “That, and the fact that I don’t have any friends.”

Though it was said simply, to Danny, the words were heavy.

This Rowan Khanna was a true individual. He seemed original. Odd, maybe. Nerdy. Should not be allowed to buy scarfs. It occurred to Danny that already, Danny knew a lot about this boy. He liked to read, had done research on the school he was going to attend, seemed to have let that research fuel his shopping if the bags were anything to go by, lived on a tree farm, probably had wealthy parents if those trees provided for wands and brooms, and was inarguably outgoing and friendly.

He was opened. Unapologetic, unashamed, and unembarrassed. He didn’t read as a fool, though, even with the scarf, and he certainly seemed intelligent. So what if he was odd and nerdy – Danny found he didn’t really get along with anyone unless they were a little off-kilter and a bit unhinged. Like he was.

Disarmed for a second time that day, Danny blurted, “We can be friends.”

Rowan winced. He became shy and seemed unsure. “You don’t think I’m too weird? People usually think I’m too weird.”

Danny repressed a smile. He was too weird – that was what Danny liked. Danny could also recognize a loneliness in Rowan’s uncertainty that mirrored his own. He didn’t know this boy from a hole in the wall, and in all likelihood, he would leave Diagon Alley and never talk to this boy again. Either because of where this conversation was about to go, or because that was how life went. Rowan, however, seemed to be blunt and forthcoming with him, so Danny would do the same.

“People say the same thing about me.”

Rowan squinted and looked confused. “Why would anyone say that about you?”

Danny shrugged, noting how easily Rowan was willing to crumble to his own weirdness and accept rejection but could apparently be baffled by it happening to someone else.

Knowing that if they were going to the same school, it would come out anyway, Danny answered, “My brother is Jacob Michaels.”

He hated how simple that was – not to mention constantly angry on his brother’s behalf. Five words, just five little words, them common along with a common name, and that was all it took. Unaware when his somber mood disappeared and something akin to hope began to bloom inside him, Danny felt the somber taking over that hope as he watched shock flicker across Rowan’s face.

“Jacob Michaels?” Rowan asked. “The Cursed Vaults Jacob Michaels?”

Danny shrugged his acquiesce, and strangely, Rowan seemed to relax from unsure back into that confident boy Danny almost knocked over earlier that day.

“That was a massive story. There are rumors all over the place because of him.”

Danny nodded and sighed. “I know. If people don’t just feel sorry for me, they either think I’m secretly waiting to follow his footsteps or plain weird by association.”

Rowan beamed – not at all the reaction Danny expected – and the sheer warmth of his smile seemed to reach out and touch Danny’s cheeks. “We’ll be weird together then!”

Danny laughed, finding himself grateful for the boy whether they left there and never talked again or not.

Rowan once again seemed pleased with Danny’s reaction, then sobered, suddenly serious, making him look older. “Is he really your brother?”

He nodded.

Rowan seemed to consider him, and Danny had the wild urge to apologize – only to then have a wild urge to punch Rowan for making him briefly feel like he should apologize for being Jacob’s brother. Whatever Rowan was trying to decide only took a moment though. He nodded once, sharply, decision made.

“What should I do if someone gives you trouble over your brother?” he asked.

Danny frowned. Check that as the second time someone asked him something no one had before. “What do you mean?”

“We’re friends, right?” Rowan reasoned easily. “Which means I should have your back. Don’t want to step on your toes though. So, what should I do?”

“Uh…” Danny blinked. “I… I can stand up for myself, thanks, but… but thank you. That’s a nice thought.”

“What is?”

“Someone on my side,” Danny answered automatically, then felt his cheeks warm again. He internally groaned. It was an emotional day, that was all. He needed to go home and take a nap or something. He was feeling drained of energy.

“Understood,” Rowan said seriously. “I’ll use my extensive vocabulary to verbally pummel anyone who attempts to besmirch your reputation.”

Danny was briefly thrown, then upon seeing the slight glint in Rowan’s eye, laughed. Rowan’s face smoothed out immediately, and he seemed to be fighting his own smile.

“Besmirch my reputation?”

Rowan grinned. “I get the feeling I didn’t pick the right scarf for the whole ‘smart’ thing. Might as well reinforce my intelligence while coming to a friend’s defense, right?”

Danny smirked. Jacob was still gone, and maybe that would hit anew later; at the moment, though, he didn’t feel quite so alone. He also had a feeling Rowan and he would end up in the same House based on that comment alone.

Maybe he really would make a friend after all.

**Author's Note:**

> *I'm not even sure the game is positive of its timeline, so I made my own  
> **I don't know if this is good. I would like to give more whatever to it and fix inevitable typos (which I will!), but again, in a rush to stick my finger in this particular socket.  
> ***Obviously, some dialogue is straight from the game, most dialogue is shuffled with my own to not be so WELCOME TO THIS GAME YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT kind of thing. It's all probably awkward as hell.
> 
> Here's this around 3,000-word beginning thing? It's very unlike me to dive into such uncharted territory like this, so I would love and really appreciate encouragement. Please, please comment - and yes, for validation - but for feedback too. Please be kind, but feel free to tell me if something doesn't work. Trying to do this was super awkward, after all, but also fun. I hope it works. I love my Danny, and I ADORE Rowan.
> 
> To the game: If you didn't want fanfic written about it, you shouldn't have forcibly stopped us from playing upon pain of actual money so we could build up character-energy. You make us wait a minute, our imagination runs a mile.
> 
> ****Last note, the DM initial was not intentional. I am not alluding to Draco Malfoy. Dude is Daniel (Danny) Wallace Michaels, not symbolic at all.


End file.
